As a university student diving into marketing, hearing about Ebony Renee Baker’s rise to fashion editor at Refinery29 UK was undoubtedly more enjoyable than I had expected it to be. To be clear it is only surprising because of Ebony’s extensive background in journalism and fashion, which are both topics that don’t particularly pique my interest. However, during her interview, there were a lot of insightful things shared and a comment made that really made me reflect.
Ebony shared over the interview that a huge reason she was able to get to her position today was through networking aggressively. While I think everyone is aware of the importance of it, when hearing multiple stories of people saying how much it has done for them you truly begin to see the value in what it can do for someone. A situation that I feel ties in nicely with networking is the ability to be fearless. In many situations, you will be required to do different things that take courage such as talking to new people, speaking in front of an audience, or covering a story on a topic that you are unfamiliar with. All these things can often lead to the thing to our desired outcomes although they are not things that we want in that present moment, which requires adaptability as Ebony had stated in the interview. While Ebony Baker had touched upon many insightful things throughout her career that are of great value, one thing she said in particular that got my attention.
Ebony discussed how although only graduated from Ryerson in 2017, there were many things in her day-to-day job that she was not taught as part of her program, primarily the digital media portion of things most notably social media. While alone it may not seem that significant, but I found it very interesting how much different a media program looks in the span of only 6 years with us at Guelph-Humber being able to specialize in Digital Marketing and social media. Additionally, it makes me feel pretty fortunate to be growing up in the era of technology since we as Gen Z are growing with it so in a way it is second nature in comparison to someone learning how to use it to its full extent in their later adult years.
In conclusion, Ebony Renee Baker’s journey underscores the undeniable importance of networking, something I’m learning to appreciate more as I explore life both professionally as a marketing student, but as well as a person. Despite my lack of interest in journalism and fashion, I was able to connect with her story which I didn’t expect. The fact that her success hinged largely on networking highlights the value of stepping outside your comfort zone, whether it’s making new connections or adapting to evolving digital landscapes. It’s clear that no matter what field you’re in, networking and adaptability are key ingredients for success in today’s fast-paced world.